Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-01-27
Making Valentines.


The average citizen is not apt to
receive comic valentine descriptive Of
of his principal faul; or Weakness with
any degree of pleasure, says n writer in
the Brooklyn Eagle. He often gets mad
and in some eases searches for the send
er. A factory in this city has, during
the past ten months, turned out fifteen
million comic and five million senti-
mental valentines. With such advan.
tages practical iokers and lavers will
have plenty of material with which to
work on February IA. Valentines birth
day. Tho former prevalent custom. of
venting petty spite by sending
comic valentine has comparatively died
out in the eastern and middle states
West ofuhe Mississippi river the valen-
tine has. however. a ready sale
recently paid .. visit to the above
mentioned factory. The many opera
tons through which toy-books and
valentines pass before they are ready to
DO delivered to the retailer are interest
ing. Tho first floor of the factory is oc-
cupied by paper-clItiing and enclosing
machines The paper on which valen-
tines are printed is received from the
NIttS&y titG - nOb I'LL COLI
dition for use. 1t must be cut in pieces,
4x2 IL feet and on which are stamped
sixteen comic valentines. After being
cni, the paper is taken to the second
fi5or and printed. Three hundred out
of the four hundred employees in the
factory are women and girls. While
the majority of the work is done by
skilled labor, some departments are
operated wholly by machinery.
On the sixth or top floor half dozen
artists draw the pictures used in valen-
tines and toy books. After drawing
is made and photographed the negative
is coated with a solution and exposed
to the sun. The negative is again coat
ed. this time with liihographic ink, and
placed in basin of water barely deep
enough 10 cover it. The ink is washed
of. except that part of tho plate on
which the drawing has been photo
graphed. The negative is then ready
tor the etcher Tho etching process ia
too we'll known 10 bear repeating here
After the drawing has been etched on
n zine plate ii is ready for the press.
The operation by which rough zinc is
made smooth is interesting. The zinc
is placed under movable emery papers.
which are charged half-hourly. These
papers vary from hard TO soft. The
constant friction of the emery wears
away tho zinc, so that in time it be-
comes rs smooth as glass. Seven pa
pers, differing in quality and thickness.
are used IN the operation.
Supt Thompson estimated that the
firm owned 10000 steel and zinc
plates. 1t must no; be supposed that
valentine can be struck off complete by
one impression. In some cases valen-
tines pass through no less than dozen
impressions. Each impression adds q
different shadc Or color to the picture
Take for example y drawing of ma
chinis; at work. The man $ hat is red,
his face and arms are pink. his hair and
mustache are blue. with n tinge OF
black. and apron and table are yellow.
the trousers green. while ais shoes are
blue, with tinge of black
Sentiments! valentines ARE made of
fancy paper aud satin. The plates pass
through the same process rs comic
The handsome, highly perfumed valen-
tines. whch the languishiRg swain
pays from - 70 5 Tor. ARE hand-psint-
ed. or. IS the superintendent said,
touched UP. Tiio ;uaching-up consists
of artisiically saubing paint here and
there abou; tlie outer surface OF the val
entine. These kasty strokes result in
flowers. pictures descriptive of the bill
ings of turtle doves. and pastoral
scenes. Tae valentine firm employs a
poet, 10 whom il pays weekly salary.
This genius writes yards upon yards of
poetry CD daily. The firms production
Of comic valentines this year include g.
600 different designs apd the same NUM-
Der of original verses. The poet has
within the past six months written p
900 comic verses. in addition to 500
verses OF sentimental poetry. Ii is said
That valentine poetry is difficult to
write. and il this be true the composer
Of $500 verses averaging eight lines
eych. is entitled 10 no little considers
ton.